Because he still wasn’t sure she understood what he was saying, he took her hand in his. “I love you, Lennox.”
She sucked in a sharp breath and stared at him. “You love me?”
“Yes, I love you. I can’t fight it any longer. You’ve gotten under my skin and made me whole again. I can’t live without you. I tried and failed.” He laughed. “Little did I realize the reason I’ve been coming by here every night, on my way home, just to make sure you were safe.”
“You’ve been coming by here?” she asked, surprise lining her features.
“Yes, every single night since we’ve been back.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I didn’t want you to know. But I couldn’t go home until I saw your car was parked out front and the lights were out. One night when the lights were still on, I even went to the store on the corner and parked there, watching until the lights in your house finally went out. It was only then that I could leave. A couple of times, I even got up in the middle of the night to do another drive-by, just to check to make sure you were safe.”
“But why? You began withdrawing from me that last day we were together.”
He nodded. “I know. I thought that was the only way to get over what I was feeling for you. But it didn’t work. Today I finally accepted how I felt and was on my way over here when I got a call from Special Agent Warner saying you might be in danger. I’m so glad I was less than five minutes away. I don’t want to think about what might have happened if I hadn’t been.”
He could tell from her expression that she didn’t want to think about it either. “But no more, Lennox. Hell, I might never let you out of my sight again. I love you so damn much, baby.”
“Oh, Roland,” she said in a choked voice.
He reached out and lifted her chin with his fingers. “And just in case you ever ask me when I fell in love with you… I was captivated by you the first time I met you, but I fought it like hell. I was afraid to give my heart to another woman for fear of losing her. But I discovered that if I’m not around to protect you, I might lose you anyway. And I refuse to let that happen.”
He paused a minute, then said, “I want to know what I have to do to win your heart, Lennox. How can I entice you to love me as much as I love you?”
“I already love you, Roland. I fell in love with you that first time, too. I wanted to melt your frozen heart, but I didn’t think that I could. And then when you walked away from me, without a backwards glance, I figured you thought what we’d shared had only been sex.”
“No, it never was just sex, Lennox. It was a lot more than that. Each time we made love, it cleansed my soul, giving me hope and a will to love again. To love you.”
He pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth in a long, intense kiss. When he finally came up for air, he said, “Will you marry me, Lennox? We’ve wasted enough time. I need you in my life.”
A light chuckle erupted in her throat. “And I definitely need you in mine. Yes, I will marry you.”
A huge smile covered his mouth. “We’ll go shopping for an engagement ring tomorrow.”
“I’m leaving town on Monday,” she reminded him.
“We’releaving town on Monday. I meant what I said about not letting you out of my sight. At least not until I know for certain that you are safe.”
Roland then pulled her back into his arms for another kiss, this one even longer and more intense than the last. There was no telling how long it would have lasted if there hadn’t been a loud knock on the bedroom door. He broke off the kiss. “What!”
“I hate to interrupt,” Joy said through the door. “But this is a crime-scene, and my detectives are here to question the two of you.”
“My fiancée and I will be out in a minute,” Roland called out, smiling down at Lennox.
“Your fiancée?” Joy said.
Roland chuckled. “That’s right, Lieutenant Courson. My fiancée.”
He then pulled Lennox back into his arms to claim her mouth once more.
THE TWO THINGS ROLANDand Lennox had tried to make clear to everyone in the beginning was that they didn’t intend to have a long engagement. Two months was the max. Nor did they want an extravagant wedding. Thanks to Margo Connelly Jennings, they only got one of those things.
Roland figured the only reason Margo didn’t push for a longer engagement was because a few weeks after he had announced his to Lennox, Frazier had announced his to Rylee. There was no doubt in Roland’s mind that no matter how Frazier and Rylee felt about it, Margo intended to make their wedding--which would take place in June of next year—the social event of the season. Roland was glad it was Frazier and not him.
As for Frazier, Roland had asked his brother to be his best man. He’d known the request would mark a gigantic turning point in their relationship, but it was time. They were brothers and always would be. And they needed to build on the strong relationship growing between them.Their father, Harold, and their brother, Murdock, would have wanted that for them.
Besides, they figured they’d need to work together to keep one step ahead of their niece. Margo loved her uncles and they loved her, but she could be a force to be reckoned with at times, especially when she thought she was looking out for their best interests.